FACE family adventures - Happy Birthday!
by Imagimanga
Summary: First chapter: It's the boys' birthday, and they have a wonderful time at the amusement park. What exactly does the family get themselves into? Second chapter: Alfred and Matthew head out to spend their birthday with their friends. This doesn't sit too well with Arthur.
1. Haunted House

**AN: Birthdays are meant to be happy. They're not supposed to make you scared out of your mind. Hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

 _11:59 PM_

The digital clock glowed in the dark, its red light emanating throughout the room. This was a special clock Alfred used on Christmas, New Years, and of course, his and Matthew's birthday. Alfred would bring the clock from under his bed and onto his nightstand and watch as the time ticked towards the first second of morning from inside his blanket. And as always, he would immediately slip out of bed as soon as it said 11:59. His small feet pattered against the carpet and he found himself beside his brother's bed.

Alfred then watched the clock's light, waiting for the magical minute. He counted down in seconds in his head. 30... 29... 28... Alfred's smile widened. He couldn't wait for the day's preparations. He listed all the places he wanted to go to an entire month ago, and all the wishes for toys two months ago. 20... 19... 18... 17... Just a few more seconds. Only a few more seconds. 13... 12... Every year, the time was shorter. Every year, he would count down until the age they were turning. 10... 9... The next number rang out in his thoughts and he leaped onto his brother's bed.

"Matthew!" Alfred whisper-screamed.

Matthew's eyes immediately opened, and he prepared for the worst. "Alfred!" Alfred landed on Matthew's back. Alfred laughed as his brother gasped from shock and for air. "Alfred!"

"Happy birthday!" Alfred said, his voice shaking from laughter.

"Get off me!" Matthew grumbled. He tried to push Alfred off of him, but to no avail.

"Happy-" Alfred scrambled off Matthew's back then jumped back on "-birthday!" He continued the pattern, waiting for a response from his brother.

"Happy birthday!" Matthew quickly said before Alfred could jump onto him again. "I want to go back to sleep!"

"Okay! Okay!" Alfred responded, covering himself in his brother's blankets. "Hey, where do you want to go today?"

"I want to go to the amusement park," Matthew softly replied.

"Me, too!" Alfred added happily, his smile growing.

The two boys fell asleep under the covers side by side, happily dreaming about the rest of the day to come.

Alfred woke up first, hearing his birthday alarm go off. He sat up immediately and shook Matthew awake. "Matthew, wake up! We have to wake up Papa and Daddy!" Matthew's eyes fluttered open reluctantly and he sat up beside his brother. He yawned as Alfred jumped out of the bed and ran to the bedroom door. "Hurry up, Mattie!"

"O... kay," Matthew mumbled, slipping out of the warm bed. He followed Alfred to their parents' room. Alfred hummed the tune from Mission Impossible as they ventured into Arthur and Francis' room, and Matthew stayed quiet as he dragged his feet on the floor.

Alfred peeked into the room and gasped. "They're not there."

"What if they're awake already?" Matthew yawned.

The two boys climbed down half of the stairs and stopped. They peeked over the railing and saw two figures in the kitchen. Alfred and Matthew descended the rest of the stairs and walked to the kitchen.

"You're awake!" Alfred commented, entering the kitchen. The two parents turned to their sons.

"I told you," Matthew mumbled, still tired.

"Happy birthday!" Francis said, placing a plate of pancakes and a plate of bacon and eggs on the table. It was Matthew's and and Alfred's favorite breakfast, respectively.

The two boys sat in their seats and looked to each other.

 _What?_ Matthew's face said.

 _I wanted to scare them,_ Alfred's face said.

"So where are we heading?" Arthur asked the two.

"The amusement park!" Alfred answered, grinning.

The family quickly finished up their breakfast and got ready for the day out. After the two boys changed, they ran down the stairs, excited for the day. Francis chuckled at the sight of the boys who bounced with anticipation.

"Settle down, we haven't even left the house yet!"

The family exited the house and the boys shuffled into the car. Francis and Arthur grabbed the driver seat handle.

"Why don't I drive today?" Arthur grumbled. He tried to swat Francis' hand away.

"No, please," Francis insisted, "allow me." Before the two could continue the argument, however, Alfred cut it short.

"Hurry!" Alfred shouted at his parents.

Francis gave up and walked around the hood of the car to sit in the passenger seat. He and Arthur didn't trust the other when it came to driving the boys places. The small family drove out to the amusement park with Alfred happily chatting along the way.

"Look, Mattie! Horses are jumping over the fence!" Alfred pointed out. "Mattie, did you see them? Papa, did you?" Francis chuckled as Matthew looked through Alfred's window.

"Where did you see them?"

"You missed it," Alfred said, a grin on his face. Matthew huffed, upset that he didn't see them.

Time passed and they soon arrived at the amusement park. Just as Arthur parked, Alfred jumped out of the car and ran around the parking lot. Matthew followed in hurried pursuit, holding Kuma in his hands.

"Al, wait!" He ran after his brother who was already running towards the entrance of the park.

"Hey!" Arthur yelled. "The both of you stop right there!" The two boys stopped running, afraid of Arthur's punishment.

The parents caught up with Matthew and soon with Alfred as well. They paid for the tickets and head in the amusement park.

"Where are we heading first?" Arthur asked the birthday boys.

"Rollercoaster!" Alfred answered.

"Most of these rollercoasters are for much taller boys, _mon cher_ ," Francis pointed out. "You can't go on any of those yet."

Matthew looked around for a ride or attraction they all could go to. He spotted something at the corner of his eye and opened his mouth to say something.

"Then I want to go on that!" Alfred was able to say first. He pointed to a ride with a bench of seats that brought you up and down.

"Why not?" Arthur mumbled.

"Matthew, do you want to go somewhere afterwards?" Francis asked.

Matthew wanted to say yes, but he thought about it. He would rather do it last. "I want to do something last."

Francis nodded, and they head off towards the ride. They secured a place in line and waited fifteen minutes to finally reach the front. Matthew let Francis hold onto Kuma before going on the ride.

"Mattie," Alfred said, "can you handle it?" Alfred grinned, thinking his brother would be scared. "Are you okay with the height?"

Matthew sighed in response. Alfred was a complete idiot. Did he forget Christmas vacation already? While Alfred was too busy still learning how to handle his skis, Matthew was already heading up the mountain on the ski lift with Papa. "I'm fine."

The supervisor of the ride let out the past riders and let in the next batch. Alfred and Matthew were seated and waited for the supervisor to pull down the bar keeping them from falling. Alfred turned to Matthew and grinned.

"Are you sure?"

"Alfred, stop."

The supervisor left and stood in front of a standing post with buttons. Alfred pressed on to annoy his brother.

"This goes pretty high."

"Al, _you're_ high."

The seats slowly inched its way up.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Francis muttered.

"Arguing, probably," Arthur said.

"We're only eight!" Alfred grumbled.

"Yet you know what the definition of s-"

"AHH!" A little girl to Matthew's left shrieked in his ear as the seats fell quickly, Matthew's words lost in the wind.

"What?" Alfred asked over the noise.

"I said-" Matthew continued, but more shrieks filled the air as the seats fell again. This ride, Matthew thought, is full of wimps.

"I can't hear you," Alfred said as the seats rose slowly.

"Never mind," Matthew sighed. He looked down to the ground and saw their parents watching them. He waved to them.

The parents waved back, wondering what nonsense the two were arguing over. Alfred then interrupted Matthew's act to Francis and Arthur.

"Just tell me!" Alfred again said over the noise.

"It's fine," Matthew sighed.

"No, tell me," Alfred persisted.

The ride suddenly stopped, the seats as high as they could go. Matthew and Alfred continued their argument, forgetting what was happening. The bickering never stopped, and the rest of the riders could hear. But some of them were too busy whimpering over how far from the ground they were. The supervisor suddenly flicked a switch, and the seats jumped and fell quickly to the ground.

"Why won't you tell-"

"It doesn't matter-"

The sudden jolt up caused the boys to gasp, and forgetting the argument, they started to shriek. Francis and Arthur stared in entertained shock as the two boys yelled from their surprise. The seats then jolted up again, and the riders saw that the ride was over. The supervisor lifted the bar and Matthew and Alfred jumped off their seats. They walked off the ride and met their parents.

"How was it?" Francis asked.

"Fun," the boys answered simultaneously.

"Where are we going now?" Arthur asked.

The family walked around, winning prizes and eating snacks. Once in a while, Arthur and Francis would argue or something until Alfred and Matthew pointed something out and headed over to it. They continued running around until they decided to take a break.

Alfred set Kuma on Matthew's head and started playing the stuffed animal's head and legs. He made up a voice for Kuma and Matthew laughed at his brother's antics.

"It's already dark," Arthur observed.

"We've been out here for hours!" Francis sighed, tired from the walking. "Should we head home?"

Matthew heard the plans, and tugged on Francis' sleeve. "There's still somewhere I wanna go."

"That's right," Francis said. He turned to Arthur. "You think we can head over there?"

"Where is it?" Arthur asked.

"I'll- I'll lead the way!" Matthew said. He held onto Kuma's legs as he walked around the park, looking for the attraction he was trying to find. After walking around, he stopped and pointed to a building. "I want to go in there!"

As if on cue, a high-pitched scream echoed throughout the air as the other three family members let their eyes settle on the dark building. Plastered above the entrance was "Haunted Maze".

"You wanna go in there?!" Alfred yelled. "Why?!"

"It might be too scary for you," Arthur said. "Why don't we head somewhere else?"

Kuma slid off Matthew's head, and he caught the stuffed animal. Matthew hugged Kuma to his chest while his head fell, his eyes staring at his parents. He pouted slightly before continuing. "I... I just wanted to..."

"I don't know, Matthew," Francis said. "Are you sure?"

Matthew didn't give up. With an overreacted pleading face, he continued his plea. "It can't be that scary-"

"I never want to go in there again!" A teenage boy said, running out the building.

"That was too scary!" A teenage girl whimpered, clutching at the boy's arm. "That's the last time I listen to you!" The girl wiped at her tears of fear with the back of her hand.

"I can't go to sleep anymore..." the boy mumbled.

Matthew stared in utter defeat at his parents. His eyes started to water. Matthew really wanted to go into the haunted maze!

"It's okay, Mattie!" Alfred said, running up to him. "They're just wimpy teenagers! I'll be your hero if you get scared!"

Arthur and Francis looked at each other before giving in. "Fine," Arthur said. "We'll go in."

The parents entered the maze warily, hoping what was inside wouldn't scare the boys too much. Or them. Especially them.

"It's pretty dark in here," Arthur observed. As soon as they entered the building, all light was blocked from their view. They could barely even see their own hands. The only light was the smoky haze of white guiding each path in the maze. They could hear the sounds of other groups of people in the maze: the shuffling of feet, murmurs of voices, the faint screams of terror.

"Make sure you don't get lost, you two," Francis said, worried that the boys might separate from them.

They walked forward and met a fork in the path. They could continue straight, turn left, or turn right.

"We should go straight," Alfred said. His hand trembled in Matthew's right hand. No one argued with him and they continued their quest through the maze.

"It's kind of..." Matthew mumbled, "quiet."

"What did you say?" Alfred whispered.

"I said-"

A high-pitched scream resonated throughout their ears. They all stopped moving, almost wondering what made the sound. The ugly wailing continued to drawl out and echo in their minds. What was heard next was the hoarse and rough chuckling of a madman.

"Matthew!" Alfred whisper-screamed.

"We have to keep moving," Matthew said.

"Okay," Alfred mumbled.

They continued, already growing tired from walking. They couldn't take a break now, especially when they ran into another fork. They could go left or right.

"I want to go left," Alfred said. He continued in that direction, but Matthew didn't let him. Matthew headed right, pulling his brother with them.

"We're going right."

The two parents could only worriedly follow with no knowing where to go. They followed the small trekker in hopes that they could exit the building soon.

"It's... a dead end," Matthew announced.

"I told you!" Alfred whimpered. He didn't like how this was going so far.

"We just turn around, Alfred," Matthew said.

The family turned around. Arthur turned to Francis. "I don't want to be in here longer than we should be. It's starting to creep me out."

"You're not scared, are you?" Francis chuckled. His chuckle, Arthur could tell, wasn't the normal mocking one or the lighthearted one. This was forced, and it drove Arthur insane. He didn't want to be in here anymore.

"Alfred, this wasn't here before, right?" Matthew wondered. He pressed his left arm on the wall, only to be waving his hand in the air. It was another path.

"What are you talking about? We have to catch up with Daddy and Papa." Alfred's whining voice shook out of fear. You could almost hear the tears roll down his cheeks. He pulled Matthew's hand, urging him to follow.

"Wait, I ju-" Matthew walked down the path. He felt his foot fall past where the floor should be. He gasped as he fell down, dragging a screaming Alfred with him.

"Alfred?" Arthur called, hearing the terrified scream. He looked behind him, but he saw no one. "Francis! Where's Matthew and Alfred?" Arthur grabbed Francis' sleeve. He couldn't see Francis' face clearly, but he could tell how worried he was. They turned around, calling for their sons. They didn't receive a reply.

* * *

"What do we do?" Arthur muttered. "Francis, we can't find them!"

"Calm down, Arthur," Francis soothed. He pulled Arthur into a hug. His warm embrace couldn't help Arthur's worries calm. Francis raised his hand to Arthur's head, caressing it gently. "It's okay," his voice was muffled by Arthur's hair. "We'll find them."

"Matthew!" Alfred cried. "What do we do? We fell down a hole! Is this even part of the maze? Papa and Daddy aren't here! Matthew!" His tears rolled down his reddening cheeks. He was so scared.

"It's fine, Alfred. This is part of the maze. See? There are weird lights over there." Matthew pointed in front of them. This path was different from the others. It must have been a secret path, another way towards the end. Hopefully this didn't have too many paths and was straight towards the exit.

"This is too scary!" Alfred clung to Matthew's left arm. "I want to get out!"

They continued walking towards the green light. Why do people think green light is creepy? Matthew thought. Alfred gasped as he saw what was ahead.

Hands decorated the two walls beside them. Many of them were blood-stained (Or paint-stained, Matthew thought) and hanging limply. Another number of them were opened as if the hand was ready to strangle you.

Alfred clung to his twin brother like glue, hiding behind his back. They hurriedly walked through the hall of limp hands. Alfred yelled out again, and Matthew quickly turned his head to Alfred. A hand had grabbed Alfred's arm. Matthew immediately, in a chopping motion, hit the hand to let Alfred go. The hand let go and behind the wall the boys heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What the-?!"

"IT TALKS!" Alfred screamed.

"Alfred!" Matthew scolded. "Stop overreacting!"

The two boys continued down the hall. Thankfully, the hall ended and turned left. It was a long hallway, and eerie sounds crept into their ears. Floorboard creaks, squeaking hinges, and finally the sound of a chainsaw.

Matthew almost sighed. It was so typical. Soon, a man with a mask will jump out from the end of the hallway-

"Matthew!" Alfred cried.

-and scare us with a chainsaw.

Matthew, out of annoyance, yelled at Alfred. "Stop holding on to me!" Matthew huffed and stomped out of the hallway, Alfred following and the chainsaw man standing in entertained confusion.

Matthew and Alfred finally found the exit. They quickly ran up the stairs and out the building. When they exited the building, they saw their parents talking to other groups of kids going into the building.

"Papa! Daddy!" Alfred yelled out. He quickly ran to them. Matthew followed and was pulled into a tight embrace.

"Where were you?" Arthur asked. "Are you okay?"

"Matthew wanted to go somewhere even though I said no and then we fell and then I got caught by a talking hand and then a scary man with a chainsaw jumped in front of us but now we're okay!"

Francis laughed out of relief. He looked over Alfred and Matthew before realizing something was wrong. "Matthew, where's Kuma?"

Matthew's face suddenly turned into a sobbing mess. "I- I don't know..." Tears streamed down his face much more quickly than Alfred's tears of fear. "I... I don't know..."

Francis looked at Arthur and Arthur sighed. "Go ahead," the Englishman said. "Be careful."

Francis carefully shushed Matthew's sobs and told him that it would be okay. The two headed back into the building, looking for Kuma.

"NO!" Alfred cried. He grabbed his dad's shirt hem and looked up. "Matthew might- Matthew might get lost!"

"Alfred-"

"Everything's scary down there!"

"Al-"

"There's a scary man with a scary chainsaw! He might cut up Papa and Matthew!"

"What do we do with this?" A woman asked a man.

"We should go around asking who lost it," the man answered.

Arthur and Alfred looked towards the two conversing adults and almost gasped.

* * *

Francis couldn't believe that there was another path to a different exit. He didn't know there was a hole in the floor and that there was another hall of hands. He chuckled remembering how Arthur almost shrieked in shock earlier. But now was a different matter. Matthew was on the verge of tears; they hadn't found Kuma yet. They walked through the hand hall quickly.

"What if I don't find him?" Matthew's voice shook in worry. His tears came back and he grabbed Francis' shirt. "What if I don't find him, Papa?"

Francis was about to console Matthew when a man with a chainsaw and mask jumped out from the opposing hallway corner. The man started to maniacally laugh until he saw the sobbing boy in front of him.

 _Wait. That's the same crying kid from before. Hold on. Where's the other one?_

"Matthew, it's okay," Francis soothed. "We'll find him."

 _Matthew? The other crying kid was called Alfred. What? What?_

Francis picked Matthew up and walked out the hallway and out the exit. Francis sighed. They couldn't find Kuma.

"What even happened...?" the chainsaw man mumbled aloud.

"Matthew!" Alfred came running towards the two holding a familiar white bear.

Matthew turned his head from his papa's chest and gasped. "Kuma!" He literally jumped out of his father's arms and grabbed Kuma. "Kumamino!"

Francis sighed in relief. "I can't believe we had to go through that when it was brought outside." Arthur chuckled.

The family left the park and shuffled into the car. This was a crazy day. They completely forgot that it was Alfred and Matthew's birthday.

* * *

What a very strange birthday.

* * *

 **AN: I wanted to upload this earlier, but I really did not give a crap, so oh well. I actually wanted it to be uploaded on the second or third. I also wanted to add in a bit where the boys were older, but I was feeling extremely lazy. I won't say that I regret it, though. I absolutely do not regret it. I'll upload the teenager bit as a second chapter some other time. Have some cookies! Hope you liked this story!**


	2. Birthday Cake

**AN: Here it is! I hope this is an enjoyable chapter!**

* * *

Matthew's eyes immediately opened, meeting his brother's gaze. Matthew groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.

"Happy birthday!" Alfred sang. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and the moonlight reflected off his eyes.

Matthew grumbled back. "Happy birthday. Now go back to sleep."

Alfred fell on top of his brother, earning a sharp exhale from Matthew. "Where are you going today?"

"Hm?" Matthew shoved Alfred to the other side of his bed. "What do you mean?"

Alfred rolled to lay on his back. "I'm gonna be getting a game and will play it with Kiku. You?"

"I'll head over to the amusement park with Carlos," Matthew said.

Alfred cringed at the name. He had a history with that boy. Alfred stared at the ceiling, thinking about the day to come. "What about Dad and Papa?"

"Turning soft, Alfie?" Matthew muttered.

"Did you know that if held to a person's face long enough, a pillow can be used to suffocate someone?" Alfred asked.

"They'll be fine," Matthew said. "They won't get angry at us for celebrating our birthday on our own."

* * *

" _Bonjour, mon cher_ ," Francis greeted after taking a sip of his coffee. "Did you get a good sleep?"

Arthur nodded, taking the cup of tea Francis held out to him. "Are the boys up yet?" he asked before taking a sip.

"I don't think so." Francis looked up from his cup. "They're usually up by now, aren't they?"

Francis found his way through the living room and up the stairs. He knocked on the boys' door, but no one answered. He opened the door and peeked into the room. Francis checked Alfred's bed first, but he wasn't there. He then looked over to Matthew's bed and saw the two sleeping in the small space together. He chuckled and called Arthur to see this. "Arthur! Come up and bring the camera!"

The man looked at him questionably then placed his cup of tea on a table. Arthur walked up with the camera and gave Francis a glance. Francis whispered "Look" and Arthur peered into the room. He saw the two boys sleeping and chuckled. "I can't believe those two. They're sixteen for crying out loud."

Francis took grabbed the camera from Arthur's hands and took a quick picture. "Should we wake them?"

"That depends if we want to damage their pride," Arthur mumbled. "Let them sleep."

Francis nodded and closed the door. The two parents silently made their way down the stairs and into the living room. They watched the news while eating their breakfast and waited for the boys to wake up.

* * *

Alfred yawned as the alarm on his phone went off. He looked over to the phone on the opposite side of the room and walked over to turn off the alarm. He glanced over at Matthew and sighed. Walking all the way back to his brother, he started the morning. "Matthew, wake up," he said, shoving the boy awake.

Matthew threw off the covers and sat up. He glared at Alfred before stretching and getting up from the bed. "You leaving now?"

Alfred threw a pair of jeans onto his bed. "Yeah. It's almost time for the game shop to open."

Matthew scratched his head and exited the room to wash his face in the bathroom after grabbing his glasses. He couldn't wait to get out of the house. Well, Matthew was an introvert, but he liked hanging out with friends once in a while. And he wanted to try one of the new rides at the park.

He walked out the bathroom and saw Alfred walk in to freshen up a bit. Matthew walked down the stairs, some steps creaking underneath his weight. His parents were in the living room watching TV and heard him coming down.

" _Bon anniversaire, Matthieu!_ " Francis greeted.

"Is Alfred up?" Arthur asked.

Matthew nodded with a smile. "He's getting ready to go out."

Arthur's brows furrowed together. "Where's he going?" He didn't know that Alfred was going somewhere.

Matthew took notice of his dad's reaction and continued carefully, not wanting Alfred to get in trouble. "He's going to get a game today. He wants to play with Kiku."

"Doesn't Kiku have a part time job?" Arthur asked. "He's already twenty-one. He should be busy. How would he have time to play a game with Alfred?"

Matthew shrugged, entering the kitchen. "I don't know what they're planning." As soon as he vanished into the kitchen, Alfred hurriedly ran down the stairs while throwing a backpack over his shoulder.

Alfred followed his brother into the kitchen and poured milk into a glass. He quickly downed it three gulps and set the glass in the sink. He then dashed out the kitchen and towards the door. "I'm going!" he announced. But before he could place his hand on the doorknob, Arthur stood up in anger.

"What?! You're leaving now?!" Arthur stared down his son. "Aren't you at least going to eat first?"

Alfred looked at his dad, wondering why he was going crazy. "I'll eat on the way to the shop."

"What about Kiku? Are you sure he even has time to play games with you?" Arthur interrogated.

"Kiku promised."

"When?"

"Five years ago."

Arthur almost yelled in frustration. Five years ago? Alfred couldn't be serious. Kiku might not even remember!

"He remembers!" Alfred said. "I recorded his voice, pinky swore, and even got him to sign a contract with his own blood!"

"The blood signature is kind of pushing it, _mon fils_ ," Francis said softly.

"You can ask Matthew," Alfred said as said boy exited the kitchen. He pointed at Matthew who held a piece of toast and a glass of juice in his hands. "He was our witness!"

Arthur and Francis turned to him, waiting for an answer. "Uh, yeah. That's right." Matthew had no recollection of the event whatsoever.

"Just let him go, Arthur," Francis said. "It'll be fine."

Arthur sighed. "Fine." As he said this, Alfred lit up and grabbed the door handle. "But remember to come back before eight-"

"Okay!" Alfred called back.

Arthur sighed out of frustration. "I can't believe him."

Matthew sat in a lounge chair, eating the toast as he watched the TV. He set the juice on the coffee table in front of him.

At least, Arthur thought, this one won't be leaving the house soon.

Matthew heard a tone from upstairs and went to go get his phone. It was probably Carlos wanting to talk about the plans for today. He grabbed the phone from his desk and pressed the talk button as he walked out his room. "Hm?" he asked.

Arthur listened to the conversation closely out of protectiveness.

"Alfred's not here," Matthew paused before continuing. "No. ...Now?"

Francis kept an eye on Arthur.

"Okay, okay. I'll head over now."

"What?!" Arthur yelled out. Matthew stared at him as he hung up. "I can't believe you're leaving so early, too!"

Matthew winced at the volume of Arthur's voice and let his arm fall to his side. "C- Carlos wants me over early... But-"

"Oh, _mon fils_ , you can head over if you'd like," Francis said. "After all, it wouldn't be nice to cancel after telling him that you would go already."

"Francis..." Arthur grumbled. He turned back to Matthew and sighed once more. "Go then."

Matthew jogged up the stairs and into his room. He changed into a white shirt and jeans and pocketed his phone. He ran down to the entrance and said goodbye before leaving.

"Come home before eight, okay?" Arthur called.

"Okay," Matthew answered. He left, and his parents sat in awkward silence watching the TV.

* * *

Alfred brought the burger to his mouth and bit into it. He had visited M*Donald's before heading towards the game shop. It was a small store, compact and old. Yet it had all the latest games and the older games as well. It was tightly packed with games for all consoles and merchandise for different games.

He threw away the wrapper of the burger and wiped his face with the napkin. He head into the store and greeted the man at the register.

"Hey, Al!" The man wore his dreads up and, as always, had his favorite pair of sunglasses sitting on top of his head. He waved at Alfred who gasped at the sight of the arm.

"Is that a new tattoo, Kevin?" Alfred asked, walking over to him.

"There's a kid—well, he's more of an adult now—who comes in and walks around without buying anything a lot. I'm keeping count of how many times he does that." Kevin grinned. "It hit thirty a couple of days ago. That's not even counting the times he's done it as a kid!"

Alfred laughed. "Dad would never let me have a tattoo."

"Stick to the rules, kid. There's a reason why they're there." Kevin then paused to think. "Unless it's a stupid rule. Then break it." He shrugged, showing something on his right hand.

Alfred noticed this and looked down at Kevin's hand. A blue cloth surrounded Kevin's hand and a face was drawn on the part over his fingers. "Is that a puppet?"

"Whoa!" Kevin said. He brought up his right hand and placed his elbow on the table, the puppet-like thing facing Alfred's chest. "This isn't a puppet. _He_ is Ted, a robot that is using my arm as a host. Say hi."

Alfred went along with the joke. "Hi, Ted."

"Don't call me a puppet, pathetic loser," Ted said.

Alfred raised a brow and stared at Kevin. "Ventriloquism?"

Kevin hit Alfred on the head. "Ted can talk!" Kevin watched Alfred rub his head and digressed from the topic. "You know what you're looking for?"

"Yeah..." Alfred answered. "I'll go get it." Alfred went over to the back of the store and grabbed a game from the shelf. He went back to Kevin and placed the game on the counter. Alfred fished out his wallet and took a twenty out.

Kevin gave Alfred the change and asked if he wanted a bag. Alfred said no and shoved the game in his backpack.

"See ya!" Alfred said to Kevin.

"Bye!" Kevin replied.

"Get outta the store, loser!" Ted yelled.

Alfred sighed and left. Once he was walking down the sidewalk, he took out his phone and texted Kiku.

Are you busy right now?

He continued walking down the pavement and stopped once to pat a golden lab on the head. He would make small talk with some of the people he knew and was genuinely surprised when some of them realized it was his birthday.

"Say hi to your parents for me, will you?" an elderly woman said. "Here, have a candy."

Alfred chuckled nervously as he took the candy and said thanks. The crossing light turned, and Alfred said bye to the woman. He slipped the candy in his pocket and felt his phone vibrate. After crossing the road, Alfred pulled out his phone and read the message.

 _I'm not busy today. It's you and Matt's birthday today, right?_

Yeah. Matt's at a friend's. Want 2 play a game?

 _Sure. You remember how to get here?_

Yup!

Alfred slipped the phone back in his pocket and boarded the bus he was waiting for.

* * *

Kiku was glad that he remembered to buy a present for the two a week ago. If he hadn't, then it would be so rude! He cleared the table in front of the TV and placed the gifts on top of the table. He had cleaned up earlier when he was finished with some paperwork.

He and Alfred played video games often when Kiku was still in high school, but now Kiku was busy with college and work. He occasionally would go back to his siblings' house but he usually frequented his apartment for work-related reasons.

Kiku wondered if Alfred would be alright. Last time he wanted to come over, he wound up lost and very far away from where Kiku actually lived. Alfred had to head home because it was getting late and from them on had to get Matthew to help him find Kiku's apartment.

At that moment, Kiku heard his doorbell ring. He headed over to the door and opened it. He smiled politely when he saw Alfred holding a video game in his hand.

"Can we start playing?"

Kiku ushered him inside. "Of course."

* * *

"Francis," Arthur asked, "what are you making?" He had walked into the kitchen and saw Francis bringing out a number of ingredients out of the refrigerator.

"A cake for the boys," Francis answered. "It will be ready in a few hours."

Arthur almost asked if Francis needed help but cut himself short. Francis would never let him help bake a cake. Francis never lets Arthur help cook even if it was as simple as placing garnish on a plate. He almost whined because of this. Arthur turned to walk out the kitchen.

Francis felt the aura around Arthur and laughed quietly. "Would you like to help me?" Arthur tilted his head and met Francis' gaze.

"Why not?"

* * *

"Matthew!" Alfred greeted his brother. He practically jumped on the quiet boy, causing Matthew to fall back.

"What are you doing here?" Matthew asked.

"I'm finished playing the game with Kiku!" Alfred said. His face lit up. "I want to go on rides, too! Oh, and Kiku got us gifts! I have 'em in my backpack."

"Is that fine, Carlos?" Matthew asked the Cuban.

"Uh," he was currently locked in a staring contest with Alfred, "sure."

"But we should go on one more ride," Matthew said. "Dad and Papa are probably waiting at home. Choose which ride you want to go on." Matthew fretfully tapped his foot as he waited for Alfred to choose.

"Let's go on that rollercoaster!" Alfred pointed to a rollercoaster with many loops and ups and downs.

"The one with the long line?" Carlos clarified.

"Yeah!" Alfred nodded at him.

Matthew sighed. This will be a long wait.

* * *

Arthur tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. Where were they? It was almost eight o'clock! Arthur had half a mind to call up Alfred and Matthew and force them to come home.

"Calm down, _mon cher_ ," Francis soothed. He placed the fresh cake on the counter. "They'll come home soon."

"What if Alfred got lost on his way to Kiku's again?" Arthur mumbled.

Francis shook his head. The man grabbed a spatula and started spreading the icing over the cake. It was a simple white frosting over the circle vanilla cake. He continued to decorate the cake as Arthur started to voice his worried thoughts. Arthur was always worried over nothing, so Francis didn't always pay attention to him. Even if Arthur realized that Francis wasn't listening, he never yelled at him for doing so if Francis was concentrating on something like now.

Francis smiled once he finished the decorating. "It's perfect!" He gestured towards the cake with his arms and beamed at Arthur. Arthur stopped his ranting and smiled at the finished project.

* * *

Matthew pat Carlos' back as he bent over the disgusting garbage can. Matthew had to look away and breathe through his mouth in order to keep from being sick himself. He watched as Alfred was playing a shoot and win game only a couple yards away. "Are you done yet?"

"No," Carlos mumbled.

"No way!" Alfred yelled at his brother. "Just let me win this gigantic tomato plushie!"

"And who are you going to give it to?" Matthew muttered. "Your invisible girlfriend?"

Carlos laughed at Matthew's remark but spewed once again. Matthew tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for both of these boys to finish their business.

"I have to get it for Antonio!" Alfred shot. "He'll love me for getting this!"

Glad you're thinking of others on your birthday, Matthew thought.

"Got it!" Alfred shouted. He held out his arms to grab the tomato plushie. The attendant pulled it down and handed it to Alfred. "Yay!"

"We should get going now," Matthew said. He turned to Carlos. "Can you head home on your own like this?"

"I'm fine," Carlos answered. "I can get home." He straightened up and the three walked out the park.

"See you," Matthew waved good-bye. Carlos waved back as they made their separate ways.

* * *

Arthur waited in the living room, tapping his foot. It was eight already! Where were those boys? Once he got his hands on them-

"We're back!" Alfred sang as he stepped inside the house. "And we brought a tomato!"

"How was it?" Francis asked.

"I got a tomato!" Alfred repeated, holding up the bright red round thing. "I'm giving it to Antonio!"

"Carlos managed to hold it in until the last ride," Matthew reported. "And Alfred wasted ten dollars getting that red ball."

"It's a tomato!" Alfred spat, sticking out his tongue.

"Come, come! I made a cake!" Francis ushered the boys to the dining room. Matthew and Francis followed, leaving Arthur in the living room.

Arthur couldn't help but keep silent the entire time. He frowned and made his way to the dining room. He watched as Francis cut the cake and give each boy a piece. Alfred placed his backpack and the tomato on the floor and started to dig in. Matthew gladly took his plate and began eating. Arthur waited at the entrance of the dining room, listening to the three laugh and talk. His eye caught the camera on a small drawer on his left and he picked it up. He turned it on and smiled.

"Everybody," Arthur lifted up the camera and the rest of the family turned to him, "smile!" Francis smiled softly and Matthew laughed at Alfred's grin because of all the frosting coating his cheeks. The camera clicked and Arthur watched the picture save. Francis, Alfred, and Matthew continued their laughter and chatter as Arthur smiled sweetly. He pressed to look at the previously taken picture and his smile widened.

I can't believe these two are sixteen already.

* * *

 **AN: I hope you enjoyed this! Have a cookie Francis made for reading!**


End file.
